Richard Gibney 365 Days of Fitness: Day 152

Day 152 My workout today was quite simple. In fact it involved only one exercise. However, this doesn't mean it wasn't tough, it pushed my limits quite a bit actually. My lower back has been feeling really good lately, and as I mentioned recently I'm getting back into pushing some heavier weights, so today I thought I'd test myself with some squats.

I started off quite light, then gradually increased my weights from set to set. I'm quite proud of the fact that every squat was below parallel. A lot of guys will tell you they squat big numbers, but when you actually see them squat you realize the bar is barely moving.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Back Squats Set 1: 135lbs x 10 / 60 sec rest Set 2: 185lbs x 5 / 90 sec rest Set 3: 225lbs x 5 / 2 min rest Set 4: 255lbs x 5 / 3 min rest Set 5: 275lbs x 5 / 3 min rest Set 6: 315lbs x 3 / 3 min rest Set 7: 335lbs x 1

I'm quite happy about how my workout went. I haven't squatted over 300lbs for at least 6 years. Lower back and Sacro-iliac joint issues had made me a little wary of getting under a heavy bar. About 10 yrs ago, when I feel I was my strongest, squatting over 400lbs was something I did quite frequently. I have a ways to go until I'm back up in that territory but today was a good start. I have to be careful not to go too crazy, but I think if I'm careful I can get pretty close to my all time strongest. I plan on maintaining the Chiro and Active Release to keep my hips and lower back in check. Heavy dead-lifting will still be limited as that seems to be a major trigger for setting off my back.

Tomorrow, as many of my Sunday's have been lately, will be a long run. I wasn't too keen on the running in the beginning but I'm starting to enjoy it a lot more.